RAA Congratulates Allison McKay on her Appointment as CEO of Women in Aviation International
The Regional Airline Association, the industry trade group representing North American regional airlines, congratulates Allison McKay on her appointment as CEO of Women in Aviation International and thanks Dr. Peggy Chabrian, who announced her retirement from WAI in 2019. Women in Aviation has played a critical role in supporting today’s female aviation professionals as well as helping to spark career interest through their Girls in Aviation and other events. RAA notes with gratitude the tremendous contributions Dr. Chabrian made throughout her career and looks forward to working together with Ms. McKay.
“I am thrilled to work for this great organization, to meet many members at our conference next month, and to move WAI in a direction that will construct programs and initiatives to propel women of all ages and backgrounds to follow their own personal aviation dreams,” says McKay. “Thanks to Dr. Peggy Chabrian’s dedication to this industry and her vision to create the annual conference and the organization, I am honored to carry on this work and direct the future of this organization.”
McKay previously served as vice president of the Helicopter Association International Foundation, where she commissioned the first academic study of staffing projections for the rotorcraft industry and created a workforce development initiative. She has more than twenty years of experience in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives with other aviation companies, including Safran USA and B/E Aerospace.
Regional airlines are often the entry point for a rewarding, life-long career in aviation, and workforce diversification is mission-critical to ensure a sufficient and well-trained aviation talent pool. “Long before gender parity came into focus as it is today, WAI was in the trenches, supporting today’s female aviation professionals and helping to spark interest among tomorrow’s,” notes Faye Malarkey Black, RAA president and CEO. “A view of Ms. McKay’s credentials shows she is the right candidate to build on WAI’s success and empower WAI to become even more influential. Ms. McKay and WAI can count on RAA’s support as they fulfill their important mission.”
RAA shares a Board member with WAI, in Linda Markham, who is president of Cape Air, one of few airline C level executives globally, and who was the first female chair of the Regional Airline Association. Linda was involved with the search for Ms. McKay and notes: “Given her professional experience and her passion to advance women in the aviation industry, Ms. McKay is a fantastic candidate to advance WAI’s mission,” says Markham. “I look forward to working with Ms. McKay and am grateful to outgoing CEO Dr. Peggy Chabrian for her vision and dedication to WAI.”